[Fic] Sin with a Grin - Chapter 3/18
Title: Sin with a Grin
Author: Stolen Childe
Disclaimer: Supernatural and all associated characters belong to Kripke and Co. I make absolutely no claims on any of them.
Author’s Notes: Special Thanks to dapperscript for the wonderful beta! Thank you! I did play with it a tiny bit after it was checked over, so any further mistakes are my own!
Please see Master Post for Notes, Cover Art and Further Information
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The following Monday, the moment Andrea saw him enter the staff room and head for the coffee pot she said, “About time. Sheesh!”
Dean flashed the woman a smile. “My God, it’s not that obvious is it?”
“Nah, I just know the look,” Andrea shrugged with a smile. Dean flashed back briefly and he had to concede that, yes, this woman did know the look. She had put it there on more than one occasion several years before, or something close to it anyway.
“How was your weekend?” Dean asked, leaning against the counter and taking a test sip of his coffee. He squawked faintly as the still-too-hot liquid burned his lip.
Andrea tutted at him then answered, “Wasn’t nearly as fun as yours by the look of things, but it was all right. Took Lucas to get his Halloween costume. And you know how he is. It took him an hour to decide whether or not he wanted to be Batman or a demon.”
“And…?” Dean asked.
“Batman,” Andrea replied.
Dean nodded sagely, “I totally respect his decision. Batman is awesome.”
Andrea’s laugh was light and musical and Dean couldn’t help but smile at it.
“I dunno, I know he’s not DC but I always preferred Spiderman, I could be Batman with enough start-up capital,” his geeky friend responded.
Dean grinned, “Nice.”
“What’s nice?” Matt, the sixth grade teacher, asked as he came into the room. He was tall and lanky, around Dean’s age, with a deep, easy voice, dark brown eyes and black hair. Dean had kind of had a crush on him when they first met, but then he met Cas again and he got over it pretty quick. Matt was still one of his favourite colleagues at the school though. He had the best taste in modern and classic music that Dean had seen in a while, the entire collection of which he still kept on records and CDs, preferring the sound over digital downloads.
“Andrea’s gonna be Batman when she gets the funds,” Dean answered.
“Nice,” Matt flashed an easy grin over his shoulder. “You seem to be doing better.”
Dean fought the urge to blush; maybe he was that obvious. “I had a good weekend.”
Matt gave him a small knowing smile, “I see.”
The first strains of child voices drifted in from the window and Dean quickly gulped his coffee and put his mug in the sink. “Shit. I’m up. See you guys later.”
Dean jogged down the hall, giving Principal Missouri Moseley a chagrined look over being late for yard duty. She just smiled and shook her head, patting his shoulder as he passed.
When Dean got out to the yard, he was immediately surrounded by several students, both past and present, all clamouring for his attention. It wasn’t a secret he was the most popular teacher at the school, and yeah, maybe he took just a little bit of pride in that. But it went both ways; these were a great bunch of kids and Dean couldn’t think of leaving unless he was forced to leave.
Dean really didn’t mind early morning yard duty. The kids were always fresh and eager for the day, not yet dragged down by whatever drama that would visit them later on, and excited to share news about their weekends or nights. Yeah, it sucked in the winter when the snow rolled in. His hands shoved deep in his pockets, the early morning chill cutting at Dean’s face as he shivered, but it also got him out of hall duty at lunch which had to be one of the most boring tasks assigned. It consisted mostly of wandering back and forth up and down the corridor, poking his head into the occasional classroom to check if the kids were still breathing and not climbing the walls. Again, this was a great group of respectful kids and he rarely had to intervene. After this small comfortable school that felt like family, Dean didn’t think he’d ever be able to return to the big city schools where he got his start, but then again, he was nothing if not adaptable.
“Hey! Adam, off of there!” Dean called across the yard. The wilily fifth grader paused mid-climb on the cement partition that separated the yard from the parking lot, before slithering off of it and running the other way as if that had been his intention all along. Dean rolled his eyes with a grin.
Dean prided himself in knowing most of the kids’ names at the school. It wasn’t a massive school so it wasn’t terribly difficult, and he never quite got the kindergarteners down right away because he spent so little time around them. But Dean knew more of the kids’ names than even the most senior faculty, who had been here through siblings and family legacies. He always made it a habit to know all his kids’ names within the first two days of school, even if it meant he had to make himself a cheat sheet. He knew it was important to establish that connection immediately or you’d lose them for the rest of the term. It was getting easier now that he had been here longer.
The bell rang and it was the usual bustle for the doors, older kids going to one set around the side of the building to line up, while the younger ones went to the closer doors.
“Dan! Kyle! Gonna beat you inside if you don’t hustle!” Dean shouted out to a few of the stragglers making their way in. He made a show of racing to the doors and the boys quickly picked up their pace, sending Dean thrilled grins as they peeled past him and found their places in line. Yeah, his job was kind of awesome.
xx
Dean managed somehow to score the period just before lunch as his prep time, and he found a pleasant surprise waiting in his classroom after he finished escorting his kids to the library. Castiel sat at his desk, feet up on the wood, in jeans and a casual button down, coffees sitting on Dean’s desk from Dean’s favourite coffee place.
“I love you,” Dean flashed the man a smile, taking the coffee Castiel had retrieved and handed to him, sipping it blissfully.
“I know,” Castiel replied. Dean pushed Castiel’s feet off his desk with a thump and took the place vacated by them. Dean noticed a few of his papers had been shuffled around. His fingers twitched to straighten them but one look at Castiel and he managed to shrug it off.
Castiel flashed him a brilliant smile, “How’s your day going?”
“Well, a couple of the brats have a case of the Mondays, but otherwise it’s good. You sick of your vacation yet?” Dean replied.
Castiel chuckled, “You know I am. Though Ellen insists we all take at least a week after wrapping a big case, so I just have to accept my lot in life. Oh! As I was coming in, Missouri cornered me and somehow I’ve been ‘volun-told’ to help supervise the haunted house for your carnival… And apparently I’m giving the children a talk at the next career day assembly.”
Dean grinned, “Really? Gotta love that woman’s spunk. Rope Sam into helping you with the talk, he gets flustered around kids and it’s a riot.”
“I will indeed,” Castiel answered. “Do you have a lot of work to do?”
Dean frowned down at his desk and sorted through his mental schedule, seeing if he had to finish any lesson planning or prepare anything for the kids. Math was patterning with manipulatives this afternoon, so that wasn’t an issue. The book and questions were prepared for Language. His least favourite class, Social Studies, was out of the way this morning along with Science, and Gym was never really a challenge.
“Nope, I’m good,” Dean answered.
“Let’s go home,” Castiel said with a meaningful smile. Dean grinned and grabbed his jacket, letting the secretary know he was leaving the premises for the next little while. She smiled knowingly at him.
xx
An hour later, the small brunette woman watched, concealed in the shadows of an alley as Castiel ushered his little plaything into a big black car with a blissful smile. She scowled at the image it made, narrowing her eyes. Two more laughs and teasing kisses, and the man in the black sports blazer finally shut the door of the car and peeled away from the curb. The young woman watched the direction he turned at the end of the street then started her car, pulling casually out of the alley as Castiel’s back disappeared into the building. Only about five minutes later she watched as the big black car pulled into the parking lot of a small elementary school and the man climbed out, jogging jauntily to the front doors. The woman raised a surprised eyebrow and smiled, gliding past the school and picking up her cell phone.
xx
Castiel cracked open one eye and glared at his Blackberry vibrating with irritating abandon. Castiel rolled over in the early afternoon sunlight, white sheets still rumpled from his impromptu visit with Dean, and he slapped at the little device. The large touch screen told him it was Sam calling and Castiel quirked an eyebrow. This could be just as easily a social call as work related, and though Castiel found staying at home and feeling useless for a week endlessly monotonous, he did like the little indulgences that the time off allowed. As such, he was hoping for it to be social. Sam could just as easily be bored at home with Jessica at work. That niggling sixth sense honed from years of service told Castiel that it was not, in fact, a social call. Resigned, he answered.
“What catastrophe has struck the world this afternoon?” Cas asked in greeting, his voice low and liquid from both his stolen nap and stolen intimacy from earlier.
“Wow, what have you been up to?” Sam asked.
“I know you really don’t want me to answer that,” Castiel replied, not able to keep the grin out of his voice.
“Well it’s nice to hear you’re finally relaxing,” Sam responded with a light laugh. “You two drive me insane sometimes. Ruby decided she wanted to talk; she had a phone call from her lawyer only a short while ago and was apparently encouraged to do so.”
“Vacation over then?” Castiel asked, sitting up with a stretch, feeling tendon, muscle and bone pop sinuously. He slid off the bed, sheet falling away from his nudity as he stooped to grab a pair of draw-string pants that had been discarded on the floor. He cocked his head and looked at them for a moment, trying to determine whom they belonged to, then decided that he didn’t actually care and slipped them on. Even with the waist cinched tightly, they hung under the sharp swell of his hipbone. Dean’s then. Castiel shrugged as he made his way to the kitchen.
“Yeah,” Sam was saying. “Ellen promised to give us an extra couple days when this wraps up. You know how badly she wants these guys.”
“I can’t say I blame her,” Castiel agreed, filling the kettle as he did so. “I never enjoyed staying home so long anyway. I don’t mind.”
“Neither do I. This place sucks without Jess, anyway. I found myself playing with the damn cat for an hour because I had nothing better to do. That creature doesn’t even like me.” Castiel heard the mock shudder in Sam’s tone.
Cas chuckled, “I think he’s cute.”
“You think anything small and fuzzy is cute, no matter how much of a terror they are. Anyway, Ellen’s given us two hours to get down to HQ. I’ll see you there.”
“Yes, see you later, Sam,” Castiel nodded though he knew his partner couldn’t see.
Before Castiel left, he made sure the kitchen was neat and organized, then left Dean a note on the counter. Back in suit and tie, he grabbed his overcoat and headed into work.
xx
Dean came home to an empty apartment and quirked an eyebrow, until he saw the note on the counter along with instructions on how to precisely heat up the small dinner Castiel had prepared for him. Dean shook his head at his house-wifeish boyfriend but found himself smiling nonetheless. Chicken, rice and green beans were placed in the toaster oven after Dean retrieved them from the fridge, and he made sure to double check the timer and temperature setting.
Apparently Sam and Cas had got another break in their case. It must have been a big one for their boss to call them in from their time off to handle it. Or their witness was being especially demanding and would only discuss whatever it was they knew with the partners.
After Dean ate, he stared at his satchel that had his students’ work waiting to be graded and lesson plans needing finishing touches. He looked longingly at the novels Castiel had neatly stacked on the coffee table, then back at his satchel. Grumbling, he grabbed the brown leather and headed to his desk and waiting laptop, then settled in for another glamorous night as a grade-school teacher.
xx
When Castiel came home that night well after eleven o’clock, he stared at Dean’s slumbering form on the couch for a full ten minutes before he found he could bring himself to do anything. A lump of anxiety was slowly building in his stomach and his heart fluttered offbeat in his chest.
Yes, he was aware this was the best option given Dean’s knowledge, skill set and training but he also wanted Dean as far away from his work as humanly possible. Cas had lost far too many people in his relatively short life and the thought of Dean getting mixed up in the more violent aspect of it made Cas literally sick to his stomach. There was also the FBI side of him that niggled that this solution was just too damn convenient, almost if it had been tailor-made for them. Which, of course, Cas had to conclude was nonsense.
Combined with Castiel’s personal fear, there was also a pounding guilt for what he had to suggest to the younger man. Castiel knew Dean adored his kids and his school, but he also knew the man had an almost martyr-like desire to help on a larger scale. Dean would not say no, even if it would tear him up inside to leave his Threes behind. Being Dean, the minute he learned there may be a child in danger, he would jump in head first and not even blink.
xx
Ellen hadn’t been too pleased with the suggestion initially, but Sam had assured her that Dean could still kick his ass if he really tried, and that he’d be training with their father long before Sam was even toddling away from their mother’s knee.
“He teaches third grade,” Ellen remarked with no little amount of disbelief in her tone.
“Yeah, because he loves it. He took martial arts and still boxes and he actually has a ridiculously accurate shot. It’s almost scary,” Sam assured. “I honestly think the only person who could beat Dean in a fight if it came down to it is Cas, or a Navy Seal…”
Cas shrugged, “I hate to admit it, but he also has a professional streak that would put most of our agents to shame. I’ve actually been a bad influence on his work ethic.”
Both Ellen’s eyebrows shot to her hairline at that one, “You?”
“Me,” Castiel nodded. Yes, they left out a few of Dean’s more noticeable quirks, but they were trying to win him points, not lose them. Besides, Sam and Cas both knew the elder Winchester brother well enough to be assured that the aforementioned quirks wouldn’t disrupt his performance in any way.
The woman broke their gaze for a moment, staring off into the distance as she weighed her options, before turning and nodding, “Fine, but he has to go through all the examinations and basic training that any other agent is required to do, if he agrees. You hear? We don’t have time for the usual twenty week horse and pony show, but if he’s as good as you say then it doesn’t sound like he needs it. He smart?”
“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “IQ was around 138 when he took the test. Not that he knows that because he refused to check his score.”
Ellen whistled, “Almost as good as you two. So why isn’t he my agent?”
Castiel frowned, “He likes teaching too much.” And there’s no way in Hell I’m letting him.
Ellen narrowed her eyes, “Not one of them only book smart folks, is he? Damn squints come in here and mess up my operation.”
“Not at all,” Sam was quick to dispute. “He actually comes across as the complete opposite, but you set him to work and the real him shines through. He’s a little rough, also has a bit of a self-deprecating attitude because of how tough school was for him before he got to college, but I promise you, Agent Harvelle, he will not disappoint.”
“So you have yourself a near-genius, street smart, combat trained civilian older brother who had a tough time in school and teaches third grade? He’s a bit of a walking conundrum isn’t he?” Ellen’s eyebrow remained firmly quirked as she commented.
Castiel chuckled, “A bit, yes. He also has the purest soul and the biggest heart I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering, if that’s worth anything. As much as I don’t want him mixed up with what we do, I know he’s the best one for the job, even if I’ll hate every minute of it.”
Ellen sighed, “Fine. Ask your boy if he’s interested. I’ll start the paperwork. You have no idea how many hoops I’m going to have to jump through for this one.”
“You won’t be disappointed. You have my word,” Castiel replied.
“Holding you to it Agent L’Ange,” Ellen said firmly, in a tone that meant every syllable of the phrase. Castiel swallowed nervously and nodded; Sam gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
xx
Finally, feeling the weight of Castiel’s gaze on him, Dean cracked open sleepy eyes and smiled.
Cas smiled back, “I was just wondering the best way to carry you to bed.”
“Ha, ha. Work go okay?” Dean rolled into a sitting position, placing the novel he had been reading earlier gently aside.
“Yes. Let’s go to sleep. I’ll talk to you more about it in the morning,” Cas nodded, offering the younger man a hand up, and not releasing it until they reached their bedroom and Cas could wrap more than just his fingers around Dean. Dean raised a questioning brow at Castiel’s sudden inclination to snuggle, but just settled back into the warmth of his arms, not about to argue.
xx
The next morning Castiel woke to an empty bed and Dean long gone. His morning yard duty had Dean at the school earlier than most of the other teachers since he preferred to do any additional preparations the morning before classes began for the day. This usually had Dean up and out of the house by quarter to seven. Castiel cursed himself for sleeping in; he had fully intended to wake with the birds, along with Dean, and discuss the meeting from the previous night. Ellen wanted Dean at Head Quarters this afternoon to start the plan in motion.
Cas scrambled for his phone on the bedside table and breathed a sigh of relief - it was only 7:30. Dean didn’t have to be out and on the yard for another 45 minutes; Castiel dialled the school’s number and waited.
xx
Dean was on the carpeted floor, writing out the charts for the vocabulary lesson later that afternoon when a knock had him looking up and towards the door. It was Ava the receptionist. She must have just got here. She still had her jacket on and her lunch bag over her shoulder.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Hiya, there’s a guy on the phone for you. Not sure if it’s your brother or Castiel. He sounds a little wrung out,” Ava shrugged.
Dean’s stomach dropped and his heart picked up speed in the same moment; they never called him this early in the morning. He climbed to his feet, giving his knees a quick brush-off as he went over to the phone on the wall, pressing the flashing line button that indicated an on-hold call. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Dean. Nothing’s wrong. I just… My boss wants to see you this afternoon to discuss something with you… I meant to tell you this morning but I slept in. Will you be able to make it to the Federal Building around four this afternoon?” It was Castiel and he did sound a little strained, but rather than being reassured by the agent’s words, Dean’s anxiety only increased.
“Yeah, sure thing Cas. I can be there. You sure everything’s fine?” Dean asked.
“Yes. I’m sure. Have a good day, I’ll see you this afternoon,” Cas replied calmly.
“Yeah, you too. Later then,” Dean returned and hung up the phone. He stared at the black plastic contraption for a moment before turning his attention back to his chart paper, pushing concern temporarily aside so he could focus fully on his kids.
End Chapter
Previous | Master Post | Next
Author: Stolen Childe
Disclaimer: Supernatural and all associated characters belong to Kripke and Co. I make absolutely no claims on any of them.
Author’s Notes: Special Thanks to dapperscript for the wonderful beta! Thank you! I did play with it a tiny bit after it was checked over, so any further mistakes are my own!
Please see Master Post for Notes, Cover Art and Further Information
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The following Monday, the moment Andrea saw him enter the staff room and head for the coffee pot she said, “About time. Sheesh!”
Dean flashed the woman a smile. “My God, it’s not that obvious is it?”
“Nah, I just know the look,” Andrea shrugged with a smile. Dean flashed back briefly and he had to concede that, yes, this woman did know the look. She had put it there on more than one occasion several years before, or something close to it anyway.
“How was your weekend?” Dean asked, leaning against the counter and taking a test sip of his coffee. He squawked faintly as the still-too-hot liquid burned his lip.
Andrea tutted at him then answered, “Wasn’t nearly as fun as yours by the look of things, but it was all right. Took Lucas to get his Halloween costume. And you know how he is. It took him an hour to decide whether or not he wanted to be Batman or a demon.”
“And…?” Dean asked.
“Batman,” Andrea replied.
Dean nodded sagely, “I totally respect his decision. Batman is awesome.”
Andrea’s laugh was light and musical and Dean couldn’t help but smile at it.
“I dunno, I know he’s not DC but I always preferred Spiderman, I could be Batman with enough start-up capital,” his geeky friend responded.
Dean grinned, “Nice.”
“What’s nice?” Matt, the sixth grade teacher, asked as he came into the room. He was tall and lanky, around Dean’s age, with a deep, easy voice, dark brown eyes and black hair. Dean had kind of had a crush on him when they first met, but then he met Cas again and he got over it pretty quick. Matt was still one of his favourite colleagues at the school though. He had the best taste in modern and classic music that Dean had seen in a while, the entire collection of which he still kept on records and CDs, preferring the sound over digital downloads.
“Andrea’s gonna be Batman when she gets the funds,” Dean answered.
“Nice,” Matt flashed an easy grin over his shoulder. “You seem to be doing better.”
Dean fought the urge to blush; maybe he was that obvious. “I had a good weekend.”
Matt gave him a small knowing smile, “I see.”
The first strains of child voices drifted in from the window and Dean quickly gulped his coffee and put his mug in the sink. “Shit. I’m up. See you guys later.”
Dean jogged down the hall, giving Principal Missouri Moseley a chagrined look over being late for yard duty. She just smiled and shook her head, patting his shoulder as he passed.
When Dean got out to the yard, he was immediately surrounded by several students, both past and present, all clamouring for his attention. It wasn’t a secret he was the most popular teacher at the school, and yeah, maybe he took just a little bit of pride in that. But it went both ways; these were a great bunch of kids and Dean couldn’t think of leaving unless he was forced to leave.
Dean really didn’t mind early morning yard duty. The kids were always fresh and eager for the day, not yet dragged down by whatever drama that would visit them later on, and excited to share news about their weekends or nights. Yeah, it sucked in the winter when the snow rolled in. His hands shoved deep in his pockets, the early morning chill cutting at Dean’s face as he shivered, but it also got him out of hall duty at lunch which had to be one of the most boring tasks assigned. It consisted mostly of wandering back and forth up and down the corridor, poking his head into the occasional classroom to check if the kids were still breathing and not climbing the walls. Again, this was a great group of respectful kids and he rarely had to intervene. After this small comfortable school that felt like family, Dean didn’t think he’d ever be able to return to the big city schools where he got his start, but then again, he was nothing if not adaptable.
“Hey! Adam, off of there!” Dean called across the yard. The wilily fifth grader paused mid-climb on the cement partition that separated the yard from the parking lot, before slithering off of it and running the other way as if that had been his intention all along. Dean rolled his eyes with a grin.
Dean prided himself in knowing most of the kids’ names at the school. It wasn’t a massive school so it wasn’t terribly difficult, and he never quite got the kindergarteners down right away because he spent so little time around them. But Dean knew more of the kids’ names than even the most senior faculty, who had been here through siblings and family legacies. He always made it a habit to know all his kids’ names within the first two days of school, even if it meant he had to make himself a cheat sheet. He knew it was important to establish that connection immediately or you’d lose them for the rest of the term. It was getting easier now that he had been here longer.
The bell rang and it was the usual bustle for the doors, older kids going to one set around the side of the building to line up, while the younger ones went to the closer doors.
“Dan! Kyle! Gonna beat you inside if you don’t hustle!” Dean shouted out to a few of the stragglers making their way in. He made a show of racing to the doors and the boys quickly picked up their pace, sending Dean thrilled grins as they peeled past him and found their places in line. Yeah, his job was kind of awesome.
xx
Dean managed somehow to score the period just before lunch as his prep time, and he found a pleasant surprise waiting in his classroom after he finished escorting his kids to the library. Castiel sat at his desk, feet up on the wood, in jeans and a casual button down, coffees sitting on Dean’s desk from Dean’s favourite coffee place.
“I love you,” Dean flashed the man a smile, taking the coffee Castiel had retrieved and handed to him, sipping it blissfully.
“I know,” Castiel replied. Dean pushed Castiel’s feet off his desk with a thump and took the place vacated by them. Dean noticed a few of his papers had been shuffled around. His fingers twitched to straighten them but one look at Castiel and he managed to shrug it off.
Castiel flashed him a brilliant smile, “How’s your day going?”
“Well, a couple of the brats have a case of the Mondays, but otherwise it’s good. You sick of your vacation yet?” Dean replied.
Castiel chuckled, “You know I am. Though Ellen insists we all take at least a week after wrapping a big case, so I just have to accept my lot in life. Oh! As I was coming in, Missouri cornered me and somehow I’ve been ‘volun-told’ to help supervise the haunted house for your carnival… And apparently I’m giving the children a talk at the next career day assembly.”
Dean grinned, “Really? Gotta love that woman’s spunk. Rope Sam into helping you with the talk, he gets flustered around kids and it’s a riot.”
“I will indeed,” Castiel answered. “Do you have a lot of work to do?”
Dean frowned down at his desk and sorted through his mental schedule, seeing if he had to finish any lesson planning or prepare anything for the kids. Math was patterning with manipulatives this afternoon, so that wasn’t an issue. The book and questions were prepared for Language. His least favourite class, Social Studies, was out of the way this morning along with Science, and Gym was never really a challenge.
“Nope, I’m good,” Dean answered.
“Let’s go home,” Castiel said with a meaningful smile. Dean grinned and grabbed his jacket, letting the secretary know he was leaving the premises for the next little while. She smiled knowingly at him.
xx
An hour later, the small brunette woman watched, concealed in the shadows of an alley as Castiel ushered his little plaything into a big black car with a blissful smile. She scowled at the image it made, narrowing her eyes. Two more laughs and teasing kisses, and the man in the black sports blazer finally shut the door of the car and peeled away from the curb. The young woman watched the direction he turned at the end of the street then started her car, pulling casually out of the alley as Castiel’s back disappeared into the building. Only about five minutes later she watched as the big black car pulled into the parking lot of a small elementary school and the man climbed out, jogging jauntily to the front doors. The woman raised a surprised eyebrow and smiled, gliding past the school and picking up her cell phone.
xx
Castiel cracked open one eye and glared at his Blackberry vibrating with irritating abandon. Castiel rolled over in the early afternoon sunlight, white sheets still rumpled from his impromptu visit with Dean, and he slapped at the little device. The large touch screen told him it was Sam calling and Castiel quirked an eyebrow. This could be just as easily a social call as work related, and though Castiel found staying at home and feeling useless for a week endlessly monotonous, he did like the little indulgences that the time off allowed. As such, he was hoping for it to be social. Sam could just as easily be bored at home with Jessica at work. That niggling sixth sense honed from years of service told Castiel that it was not, in fact, a social call. Resigned, he answered.
“What catastrophe has struck the world this afternoon?” Cas asked in greeting, his voice low and liquid from both his stolen nap and stolen intimacy from earlier.
“Wow, what have you been up to?” Sam asked.
“I know you really don’t want me to answer that,” Castiel replied, not able to keep the grin out of his voice.
“Well it’s nice to hear you’re finally relaxing,” Sam responded with a light laugh. “You two drive me insane sometimes. Ruby decided she wanted to talk; she had a phone call from her lawyer only a short while ago and was apparently encouraged to do so.”
“Vacation over then?” Castiel asked, sitting up with a stretch, feeling tendon, muscle and bone pop sinuously. He slid off the bed, sheet falling away from his nudity as he stooped to grab a pair of draw-string pants that had been discarded on the floor. He cocked his head and looked at them for a moment, trying to determine whom they belonged to, then decided that he didn’t actually care and slipped them on. Even with the waist cinched tightly, they hung under the sharp swell of his hipbone. Dean’s then. Castiel shrugged as he made his way to the kitchen.
“Yeah,” Sam was saying. “Ellen promised to give us an extra couple days when this wraps up. You know how badly she wants these guys.”
“I can’t say I blame her,” Castiel agreed, filling the kettle as he did so. “I never enjoyed staying home so long anyway. I don’t mind.”
“Neither do I. This place sucks without Jess, anyway. I found myself playing with the damn cat for an hour because I had nothing better to do. That creature doesn’t even like me.” Castiel heard the mock shudder in Sam’s tone.
Cas chuckled, “I think he’s cute.”
“You think anything small and fuzzy is cute, no matter how much of a terror they are. Anyway, Ellen’s given us two hours to get down to HQ. I’ll see you there.”
“Yes, see you later, Sam,” Castiel nodded though he knew his partner couldn’t see.
Before Castiel left, he made sure the kitchen was neat and organized, then left Dean a note on the counter. Back in suit and tie, he grabbed his overcoat and headed into work.
xx
Dean came home to an empty apartment and quirked an eyebrow, until he saw the note on the counter along with instructions on how to precisely heat up the small dinner Castiel had prepared for him. Dean shook his head at his house-wifeish boyfriend but found himself smiling nonetheless. Chicken, rice and green beans were placed in the toaster oven after Dean retrieved them from the fridge, and he made sure to double check the timer and temperature setting.
Apparently Sam and Cas had got another break in their case. It must have been a big one for their boss to call them in from their time off to handle it. Or their witness was being especially demanding and would only discuss whatever it was they knew with the partners.
After Dean ate, he stared at his satchel that had his students’ work waiting to be graded and lesson plans needing finishing touches. He looked longingly at the novels Castiel had neatly stacked on the coffee table, then back at his satchel. Grumbling, he grabbed the brown leather and headed to his desk and waiting laptop, then settled in for another glamorous night as a grade-school teacher.
xx
When Castiel came home that night well after eleven o’clock, he stared at Dean’s slumbering form on the couch for a full ten minutes before he found he could bring himself to do anything. A lump of anxiety was slowly building in his stomach and his heart fluttered offbeat in his chest.
Yes, he was aware this was the best option given Dean’s knowledge, skill set and training but he also wanted Dean as far away from his work as humanly possible. Cas had lost far too many people in his relatively short life and the thought of Dean getting mixed up in the more violent aspect of it made Cas literally sick to his stomach. There was also the FBI side of him that niggled that this solution was just too damn convenient, almost if it had been tailor-made for them. Which, of course, Cas had to conclude was nonsense.
Combined with Castiel’s personal fear, there was also a pounding guilt for what he had to suggest to the younger man. Castiel knew Dean adored his kids and his school, but he also knew the man had an almost martyr-like desire to help on a larger scale. Dean would not say no, even if it would tear him up inside to leave his Threes behind. Being Dean, the minute he learned there may be a child in danger, he would jump in head first and not even blink.
xx
Ellen hadn’t been too pleased with the suggestion initially, but Sam had assured her that Dean could still kick his ass if he really tried, and that he’d be training with their father long before Sam was even toddling away from their mother’s knee.
“He teaches third grade,” Ellen remarked with no little amount of disbelief in her tone.
“Yeah, because he loves it. He took martial arts and still boxes and he actually has a ridiculously accurate shot. It’s almost scary,” Sam assured. “I honestly think the only person who could beat Dean in a fight if it came down to it is Cas, or a Navy Seal…”
Cas shrugged, “I hate to admit it, but he also has a professional streak that would put most of our agents to shame. I’ve actually been a bad influence on his work ethic.”
Both Ellen’s eyebrows shot to her hairline at that one, “You?”
“Me,” Castiel nodded. Yes, they left out a few of Dean’s more noticeable quirks, but they were trying to win him points, not lose them. Besides, Sam and Cas both knew the elder Winchester brother well enough to be assured that the aforementioned quirks wouldn’t disrupt his performance in any way.
The woman broke their gaze for a moment, staring off into the distance as she weighed her options, before turning and nodding, “Fine, but he has to go through all the examinations and basic training that any other agent is required to do, if he agrees. You hear? We don’t have time for the usual twenty week horse and pony show, but if he’s as good as you say then it doesn’t sound like he needs it. He smart?”
“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “IQ was around 138 when he took the test. Not that he knows that because he refused to check his score.”
Ellen whistled, “Almost as good as you two. So why isn’t he my agent?”
Castiel frowned, “He likes teaching too much.” And there’s no way in Hell I’m letting him.
Ellen narrowed her eyes, “Not one of them only book smart folks, is he? Damn squints come in here and mess up my operation.”
“Not at all,” Sam was quick to dispute. “He actually comes across as the complete opposite, but you set him to work and the real him shines through. He’s a little rough, also has a bit of a self-deprecating attitude because of how tough school was for him before he got to college, but I promise you, Agent Harvelle, he will not disappoint.”
“So you have yourself a near-genius, street smart, combat trained civilian older brother who had a tough time in school and teaches third grade? He’s a bit of a walking conundrum isn’t he?” Ellen’s eyebrow remained firmly quirked as she commented.
Castiel chuckled, “A bit, yes. He also has the purest soul and the biggest heart I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering, if that’s worth anything. As much as I don’t want him mixed up with what we do, I know he’s the best one for the job, even if I’ll hate every minute of it.”
Ellen sighed, “Fine. Ask your boy if he’s interested. I’ll start the paperwork. You have no idea how many hoops I’m going to have to jump through for this one.”
“You won’t be disappointed. You have my word,” Castiel replied.
“Holding you to it Agent L’Ange,” Ellen said firmly, in a tone that meant every syllable of the phrase. Castiel swallowed nervously and nodded; Sam gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
xx
Finally, feeling the weight of Castiel’s gaze on him, Dean cracked open sleepy eyes and smiled.
Cas smiled back, “I was just wondering the best way to carry you to bed.”
“Ha, ha. Work go okay?” Dean rolled into a sitting position, placing the novel he had been reading earlier gently aside.
“Yes. Let’s go to sleep. I’ll talk to you more about it in the morning,” Cas nodded, offering the younger man a hand up, and not releasing it until they reached their bedroom and Cas could wrap more than just his fingers around Dean. Dean raised a questioning brow at Castiel’s sudden inclination to snuggle, but just settled back into the warmth of his arms, not about to argue.
xx
The next morning Castiel woke to an empty bed and Dean long gone. His morning yard duty had Dean at the school earlier than most of the other teachers since he preferred to do any additional preparations the morning before classes began for the day. This usually had Dean up and out of the house by quarter to seven. Castiel cursed himself for sleeping in; he had fully intended to wake with the birds, along with Dean, and discuss the meeting from the previous night. Ellen wanted Dean at Head Quarters this afternoon to start the plan in motion.
Cas scrambled for his phone on the bedside table and breathed a sigh of relief - it was only 7:30. Dean didn’t have to be out and on the yard for another 45 minutes; Castiel dialled the school’s number and waited.
xx
Dean was on the carpeted floor, writing out the charts for the vocabulary lesson later that afternoon when a knock had him looking up and towards the door. It was Ava the receptionist. She must have just got here. She still had her jacket on and her lunch bag over her shoulder.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Hiya, there’s a guy on the phone for you. Not sure if it’s your brother or Castiel. He sounds a little wrung out,” Ava shrugged.
Dean’s stomach dropped and his heart picked up speed in the same moment; they never called him this early in the morning. He climbed to his feet, giving his knees a quick brush-off as he went over to the phone on the wall, pressing the flashing line button that indicated an on-hold call. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Dean. Nothing’s wrong. I just… My boss wants to see you this afternoon to discuss something with you… I meant to tell you this morning but I slept in. Will you be able to make it to the Federal Building around four this afternoon?” It was Castiel and he did sound a little strained, but rather than being reassured by the agent’s words, Dean’s anxiety only increased.
“Yeah, sure thing Cas. I can be there. You sure everything’s fine?” Dean asked.
“Yes. I’m sure. Have a good day, I’ll see you this afternoon,” Cas replied calmly.
“Yeah, you too. Later then,” Dean returned and hung up the phone. He stared at the black plastic contraption for a moment before turning his attention back to his chart paper, pushing concern temporarily aside so he could focus fully on his kids.
End Chapter
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